SFRS Team Members

Dr. Roya Izadi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island and a Research Fellow at the Gender and the Security Sector Lab at Cornell University. She is Associate Director of the Center for Non-Violence and Peace Studies and Director of the SFRS Lab. She also directs the Naval War College/Cornell University Internship at URI. Her research focuses on civil-military relations, political economy of security, militarization, gender and security forces, and political violence. Her work has been published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Research and Politics, International Interactions, and Armed Forces and Society.

Amanda Queiroz is a recent graduate from the Master’s program in International Relations at URI, with a concentration in Global Peace Studies. She has worked with the SFRS Lab and the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies on multiple projects, and served as an intern with the World Affairs Council of Rhode Island supporting the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program. She will embark on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Uruguay following her graduation.

Brianna Knight is an MA student in International Relations, concentrating in Nonviolence and Peace Studies, and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Political Science Department. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics. Her current research interests include Middle Eastern politics, societal militarization, and the dynamics of regime change.

Zachary Hurwitz graduated summa cum laude from URI with a triple major in International Studies & Diplomacy, French, and Political Science. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Relations with a concentration in Diplomacy.

Isabella is the graduate administrative assistant for the Center of Nonviolence and Peace Studies and SFRS Lab. She is a graduate student in International Relations concentrating in Global Peace Studies. She holds three bachelor’s degrees in Political Science, Italian, and International Studies, and is the recipient of the David Warren Scholars with High Distinction Award for Sustained Excellence in Political Science (2023) and two University Academic Excellence awards (2025).

Ava is a senior at URI majoring in Political Science and Italian. She has worked as a Research Assistant for nearly two years on projects concerning civil-military relations, trust in police around the world, societal militarization, and anti-Americanism. She is the recipient of the David Warren Scholars with High Distinction Award (2025) and was a College of Arts & Sciences Fellow in Summer 2025. She is currently an undergraduate researcher at the Gender and Security Sector Lab at Cornell University.

Caitlin Reardon is graduating from URI with degrees in Chinese and Political Science. Her areas of focus are Cross-Strait geopolitics and Chinese military law. She has been studying Mandarin for 10 years and will spend seven weeks in Taiwan in summer 2026 to further develop her language skills.

Hadley is a senior at URI majoring in Political Science and Spanish. Her research interests include Eastern Europe, economic indicators and outcomes of conflict, single-party regimes, and petrostates. She served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the political science research methods course in Fall 2025 and is currently an ABM student in the MA in International Relations with a concentration in Global Peace Studies.